Melissa, Alfred and their two sons lived in Washington from 1971 to 1975. In this period, she held the following posts: Chief of the Business Relations Branch in the Bureau of Economic Affairs, 1972 – 1973; Personnel Officer for the Board of Examiners at the State Department; and Deputy Director for major export projects at the Department of Commerce, 1973 – 1975.
At the Board of Examiners, she had to interview applicants to the State Department. She would ask the usual questions, and, at the end of the meeting, she would often ask what kind of music they liked. In this way, she learned about the new rock sounds that were coming out in the seventies and would buy records for her sons.
From 1973 until 1975, she was Deputy Director for major export projects at the Department of Commerce. This meant promoting US companies in major projects overseas, often in the construction industry. As part of this work, she went to Brazil in 1974 and was fascinated by the country. That led to her getting the post as Commercial Counselor in Rio the following year.